Conductor splicing machine



Dec. 15, 19311 A. w. PHELPS ET AL 9 3 CONDUCTOR SPLIC ING MACHINE Filed Oct. 21, 1929 2 Shee'bs-Sheet l Ivy I 3mm filva W. Phelps and Clarenced/feller A. W. PHELPS ET AL CONDUCTOR SPLICING MACHINE Dec. 15, 1931.

2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Oct. 21 1929 171 V4 W Plrelpa v and C'larenccEl/fell er Patented Dec. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALVA W. PEELIPS AND J. KELLER, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO DECO-Rm CORPORATION, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A

CORPORATION OF DELA- connucron srmcme mcnma Application 'flled October 21, 1-929. Serial No. 401,325.

This invention relates to apparatus for splicing electrical conductors, and its principal object is to fasten the conductors together by a metal band or clip which afterwards may besoldered to prevent corrosion at the spliced joint.

This object of the invention is accomplished in the disclosed embodiment thereof by providing an anvil for receiving superposed portions of wires to be joined, and means for forcing a U-shaped clip around the wires and against the sides of the anvil which has a'recess so shaped as to cause the ends of the U-shaped clip to embrace the Wires and firmly squeeze them together. The U-clips are automatically fed from a supply reel of clip materialand are severed one at a time by a shearin punch which also forces the severed clip around the wires received by the anvil. The clip material preferably consists of a continuous series of short lengths of flexible metal U-shaped in cross section, these lengths being separated at the sides of the U, but all joined together at the bend of the U. Therefore, each U clip is-severed from which respectively show in cross section the wires, clip, anvil and punch before and after forming the clip around the wires.

Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof a machine.

embodying the .present invention.

Fig. {5 is a vertical sectional view taken through the gear, punch-and anvil on a plane which includes the front side edge of the supply strip A shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 5 shows the wires.

the apparatus before the clip is'attached to portion of wire may be joined to an end por-,

tion of another. In Fig. 1 an insulated wire A has a portion of its insulation cut away to expose a conducting portion B which is to be joined to the bared portion end 0 of an insulated wire D. E designates the'U-shaped clip for attaching the parts B and C. By means to be described, the parts B, C and E are located as shown in Fig. 2 between an anvil 20 and a punch which forces these parts into the cavity 21 of the anvil as shown in Fig. 3, thereby causing the clip E to be squeezed around the wires B and C.

The apparatus embodying the present invention is adapted to be applied to what is commonly known as a kick press or foot opera'ted press which comprises a table 30 which supports a base block 31 integral with a bracket 32 which provides ways 33 and 34: which support and guide a vertically movable slide 35 having a recess 36 for receiving the end 37 of a kick press lever 38, the lower end of which carries a pedal (not shown), and the intermediate portion of which is pivotally supported by the table 30 on an axis substantially vertically below the slide 35. The pivotal support for the lever 38 is not shown as that detail of construction is familiar to those skilled in the art. To the base 31 is attached a plate 40 carrying an anvil 20 which, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, has a work receiving recess 21, the

bottom of which is defined by arcuate surfaces 22 and 23 which are substantially concentric but which have different radii, and

which are joined by a shoulder 24. On each side of the anvil 20 as shown in Fig. 5 there is located a pad 25 attached to the upper 611d of a rod 26 which is urged upwardly by a spring 27, the lower end of which bears against a plate 28 secured by a screw 29 to the plate 40. The anvil 20 is secured to the plate 40 by screws 41 and is located by dowels 42. The plate, 40 carries pilot rods 45 to which there is attached by screws 46 a frame 47 having a cylindrical recess 48 for receiving a rod 49 to which the punch 50 is attached. The rod 49 is secured to the slide 35 by a. set screw 51. The rod 49 pro- "vides a shoulder 52 for engagingthe upper side of a plate 53 through which the rod 49 passes. The plate is normally maintained separated from the plate 53 by four springs 54, the ends of which are received by suitable recesses in the plates 53 and 45. i The punch, is invertical alignment with-an aperture 55 in a hard metal block 56 which is externally cylindrical and is received by a round hole 57in the frame 47 and which is secured in position by pin 58.

The strip S of connected U clips E is fed from a supply reel 60 supported by brackets 61 and 62 and is moved along a bar 63 supported by a late 64 which is attached to the frame 47. The screws 65 which attach the bar 63 to the plate 64 pass through the elongated holes 66 in the plate 64 thereby permitting endwise adjustment of the bar 63 when the screws 65 are loosened in order that the bar 63 may be secured in the desired position with its right hand end in vertical alignment with the left hand side of punch 50 as viewed in Fig. 5. The bar 63 is made of.hard metal and cooperates with the punch 50 to sever that clip E which is within the aperture-55 from the strip S.

In a manner to be described, relative movement takes place between the rod 49 and the frame 47 and this relative movement is employed for the purpose of operating an automatic mechanism for feeding the strip S toward the right as viewed in Figs. 5 and 7. The frame 47 provides aligned apertures 70 and 71 for receiving and guiding a horizontally slidable rod 72 having itsright handend rounded ofi so as to cooperate with a camming surface 73 provided by the rod 49 and defining a notch 74 which receives the rod 72 when the rod 49 is in the.

upper position as shown in Fig. 5. A spring 75 retained'by a spring retainer tube 76 at-' tached to the frame 47, urges the rod 72.

toward the right. The rod 72 is provided with an opening 77 for receivinga feed lever 78 pivoted upon a pin 79 and Provided at its lower end witha sharp arcuate edge 80 which embraces theU or bend of the strip of U slips, said edge 80 being urged into engagement with-the strip S by a spring 81 located between the rod 72 and the upper-end of the lever 78. Movement of the strip S toward the left is prevented by a pawl 82 pivoted at 83 upon the frame 47 and ro'vided with an arcuate end edge 84 for em racing the U portion of the clips E. This end edge 84 is urged into engagement with the strip S by spring 85 bearing at its lower end against the pawl 82 and fixed at its u per end to a stud 86 attached to the frame 4?.

The operation of the lows: The wires A and placed upon the pads 25 in the manner shown in Fig. 1., the bare portion C of the wire D resting upon-the bare portion B of the wire A as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2. The lever 38 is moved by a pedal (not shown) in such direction as to cause the slide 35 to move downwardly carrying with it the rod 49 and the plate 53. During this downward movement of rod 49, the frame 47 moves downwardly until its lower side engages the work located upon the anvil 20 and pads 25. After motion of the frame 47 is arrestthe surface 23 until it engages the shoulder 24 0f the anvil and the left hand branch will be forced-along the surface 22 so that the cl p will be caused to tightly embrace the wire portions B and C, the ends of the clip overa ping as shown in Fig. 3.

uring the downward movement of the rod 49 relative to the frame, the camming surface 73 of rod 49 pushes the rod 72 from the osition shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in ig. 7 in order to move the feedlever 78 toward apparatus is as folto be joined are the left, the strip S being restrained by the nonback-up pawl 82.

During the upward movement vof the slide ment with the rod 7 2; When this occurs the.

spring 75 will be permitted to move the rod 72 toward the right. so that its end '.will be,

received in notch 74, thereby causing the punch 50 is above the finger or feed pawl 78 to ush the stri S -toward the right so thatt e next clip will be located under the punch 50. Since frame 47 cannot be separated any further by springs 54 from slide 35, because notch 74 receives; rod72 and prevents downward movement of rod 72 relative to rod 49, frame47 must move upwardly with rod 49 during the upward movement of 'rod 49 which takes place after the feeding operation. This upward move.-

ment of frame-47 is assisted by springs 44.- While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein. disclosed, constitutes.

ductors comprising, in combination, an anvil for receiving the conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces shaped for causing a splicing clip to be bent against the conductors when the clip is forced against the anvil, apunch for forcing the clip against the anvil, and means for feeding a supply strip of preformed clips between the punch and anvil.

2. Apparatus for splicing electrical conductors comprising, in combination, an anvil for receiving the conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces shaped for causing a splicing clip to be bent against the conductors when the clip is forced against the anvil, and means for severing a clip from a connected series of clips and for forcing the clip against the anvil and around the wire portions.

3. Apparatus for splicing electrical conductors comprising, in combination, an anvil for receiving the conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces shaped for causing a splicing clip to be bent against the conductors when the clip is forced against the anvil, means for severing -a clip from a con- ;nected series of clips and including a shearing punch, and means including the punch for forcing the clip against the anvil and around the wire portions. I

4. Apparatus for splicing electrical conductors comprising, in combination, an anvil for receiving the conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces shaped for causing a splicing clip to be bent against the conductors when the clip is forced against the anvil, means for feeding a strip of connected clips relative to the anvil so that an end clip of the strip is in alignment with the anvil, and means for severing the end clip and for forcing the same against the anvil and around the wire portionsi 5. Apparatus for splicing electrical conductors comprising, in combination, an anvil for receiving the conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces shaped for causing a splicing clip to be bent against the conductors whenthe clip is forced against the anvil, means for feeding a strip of connected clips relative to the anvil so that an end clip of the strip is in alignment with the anvil, means for severing the end clip from the strip,

said means including a shearing punch, and .means includingthe punch for forclng the clip against the anvil and around the wire portions.

posed conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces adapted to cause the ends of a U-shaped clip to be bent around the conductor portions when the clip is forced against the anvil, a vertically movable slide, a rod attached thereto and carrying a shear punch in vertical alignment with the anvil, a frame, a shear bar mounted on the frame for receiving a strip of connected U-clips and cooperating with the shear punch to sever the end clip of the strip when said end clip is under the punch, and means carried by the frame and actuated when the punch moves relative to the frame for causing the strip of clips to be fed toward the punch.

7 Apparatus for splicing electrical conductors comprising, in combination, a stationary anvil for receiving horizontally disposed conductor portions to be joined and having surfaces adapted to cause the ends of a U-shaped clip to be bent around the conductor portions when the clip is forced against the anvil, a vertically movable slide, a rod attached thereto and carrying a shear punch in vertical alignment with the anvil, a vertically movable frame movable part-way with the punch toward the anvil, yielding means transmitting downward movement from the slide to the frame, a shear bar for supporting a strip of connected clips and cooperating with the shear punch to sever the end clip when under the punch, means carried by the frame for guiding the severed clip as it is moved by the punch toward the anvil after the downward movement of the frame is ar rested, and means carried by the frame for feeding the strip of clips toward the punch, said means being actuated automatically durin g relative movement between the punch and a frame.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 in which the strip feeding means includes a feed pawl spring-urged against the strip, a rod carryv ing the pawl and movable parallel to the strip,

a cam provided by the punch rod and engaged by the rod for backing up the rod when the punch moves down relative to the frame, and a spring for moving the rod in the opposite direction to feed the strip under the punch supporting the bared portions of the con ductors, pads adj acentthe anvil for supporting contiguous portions of the work, a supply strip of preformed clips being fed to a position over the anvil, a punch for shearing a clip from the preformed strip and for forcing the clip against the anvil, said pads yielding upon descent of the punch tohold the work securely in place upon the anvil, said punch and anvil forcing the preformed clip to clinch about the bared portions of the work so held, a successive clip of the preformed strip being fed into ositioh over the anvil upon full retractio'n o the punch.

In testimony whereof we hereto afilx' our signatures.

ALVA W. PHELPS. CLARENCE J. KELLER. 

